Bluetooth technology could be used to monitor unborn babies' heart rates (Source: deviantart.net)

The Bluetooth method is 98 percent more accurate than the ultrasound-based Doppler shift technique

Researchers from India have developed a fetal heart rate monitoring system using Bluetooth technology.

Vijay Chourasia, study leader from the LNM Institute of Information Technology in Jaipur, and Anil Kumar Tiwari of the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan, have found that a Bluetooth fetal heart rate monitoring system is much more accurate for long-term care than a traditional stethoscope.

According to Eurekalert, the Bluetooth system checks the heart of an unborn baby much like a conventional stethoscope, but is much more convenient and accurate. The system is convenient because there are no cables and it also has low power consumption, allowing mothers to use it without assistance from medical professionals.

The Bluetooth system is also safe because it doesn't emit an ultrasound and is non-invasive. It doesn't emit any other sort of energy either.

The research team tested the system on 33 expectant mothers at different points throughout the pregnancy. According to the researchers' results, the Bluetooth method is 98 percent more accurate than the ultrasound-based Doppler shift technique.

The paper will be published in the International Journal of Computers in Healthcare.